Holland is world famous for its tulips and other flowers. Hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world annually make a pilgrimage to the flowering fields and the world-famous FloraHolland flower auctions located in the cities of Aalsmeer, Rijnsburg and Naaldwijk. In this article, we will talk about what time of the year you can find flowering fields and how to get to them, as well as about the flower market (accessible to the public all year round) and how it can be interesting for tourists. Your journey will become even more interesting with our app and our Amsterdam walking tour audio guide. Download!
flower fields
First of all, it is worth noting that the flower fields are not just randomly scattered throughout the country, but are mainly concentrated around the flower auctions and around the Keukenhof park. The location near the auctions is very pragmatic and allows farmers to quickly deliver their products for sale. The most visited among tourists are the fields of tulips, daffodils and hyacinths around Keukenhof, namely in Lisse. This is explained not only by the worldwide fame of the park itself, but also by the fact that it is extremely easy to get to Lisse by bus from Lieden.
Consider the most famous flower fields and how to get to them.
- In Lisse, flower fields are located on the streets: Zwartelaan, Essenlaan, Loosterweg-Zuid and Herenweg. Getting to Lisse, as we have already said, is quite simple. From Leiden, take bus 50 (direction Haarlem),
- In Hillegom: Veenenburgerlaan, Zuider Leidsevaart and Derde Loosterweg. You can get there by train from Amsterdam Centraal.
- To Noordwijkerhout: Herenweg and Westeinde. You can get there from Leiden by bus 57 (direction Hillegom)
- To Zilk: Zilkerbinnenweg. Exactly the same as in Noordwijkerhout, just drive a few stops further to Hoogduinweg.
An alternative is to cycle along this route, called the Bloemenbollenroute (known as the "Flower Route"). On a note! If you are in doubt about the best way to get there, or if you are faced with the problem of canceled or late transport, the website will help you plan your door-to-door trip. Simply enter your starting point and destination (city/street/zip code), as well as the time of departure or arrival, and the type of transport.
FloraHolland flower auctions
FloraHolland's flower auctions attract tourists from all over the world. FloraHolland is an exchange in the truest sense of the word. Only they trade there not in shares or oil, but in flowers. These auctions are somewhat similar to an autonomous city, since work is in full swing around the clock. Inside each auction there are cafes, recreation and smoking areas, and even hairdressers. It is attractive that the auction is in the free access for tourists. You can watch the work of buyers from a special gallery. Tourists at FloraHolland have a unique opportunity to be in the center of the international flower trade.
As we have already said, the FloraHolland flower auction is located in three cities: Aalsmeer, Naaldwijk, Rijnsburg. You can visit any of them! However, the Aalsmeer auction is considered the most convenient to visit due to its size (the largest of the three) and its proximity to Schiphol Airport. You can get from the airport by bus 198 (Direction Aalsmeer Hortensiaplein), leaving from Schiphol bus station. The auction is open to the public on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7 am to 11 am and on Thursdays from 7 am to 9 am.
We recommend scheduling a visit as early as possible, since it is during the first hours of the opening that the auction works on full power. FloraHolland is closed to the public on Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays and December 31st. If you decide not to use the services of a guide, follow the following route: from the reception for tourists and visitors (The Visitor Centre), go through the gallery through the auction complex. At the end of the gallery are the main halls, where you can see how flowers are brought and sorted before they go directly to the auction itself. Information boards with explanations in four languages are hung around the gallery. If you want to use the services of guides, it makes sense to purchase Aalsmeer combi-ticket which includes a three-part tour:
- 07.00: one and a half hour tour of the auction
- 10.00 am: visit to the historic garden at Aalsmeer
- 13:30: Boat trip on the Westeinderplassen
The Aalsmeer Combi-ticket is available from April 1st to October 2nd, 2015, Tuesday to Friday. Ticket price for adults: €13.50, for children: €8.25.
If you are driving, please note that parking for visitors to the auction is free. It is located on the roof (follow the white sign P23).
Flowering season in Holland. When is the best time to go?
It is believed that the flowering season of the fields in Holland falls between mid-March and mid-May. However, in reality, flowers simply do not tend to bloom every year on the same schedule. It all depends on the temperature. Therefore, if the winter turned out to be relatively warm, active flowering in most fields can be observed already in early April.
The Dutch themselves also monitor the beginning of the flowering season in the fields. Many even use the well-known website to monitor flowering in the flower fields of Noordwijkerhout. Thanks to him, you can find out when the fields of tulips are in their most beautiful flowering phase.
We advise you to pay attention to National Tulip Day, which takes place every year in Amsterdam on Dam Square. And this is not the only flower festival in Holland! An overview of similar holidays with dates and programs is presented on
To date, the largest supplier of tulips in the world is the Netherlands. For a long time, these luxurious flowers have become a symbol of Holland. There is no other country in the world with such a large variety of plants in terms of shape, color and duration of flowering.
Dutch tulips are the standard of the highest quality and beauty. And a few centuries ago, their price was fabulous. For example, for one bulb of a plant they gave a brewery. Two good stone houses it was necessary to pay for three bulbs of beautiful flowers.
Pride of Holland
Little Holland has achieved unprecedented success in breeding these exquisite flowers over four centuries, becoming the main exporter of tulips, which many associate with the beginning of spring. Every year, this small country earns more than twenty-five billion dollars from floriculture. Dutch tulips, photos of which can be found in all publications for gardeners, are sent from this country to different states. Their number is 3/4 of all tulips sold in the world.
A kind of Mecca for flower growers is the Dutch Keukenhof park. It can be safely called the flower kingdom. Every year a magnificent exhibition takes place here, where the newest varieties of Dutch tulips are presented, original flower arrangements. And some lucky ones even manage to bring new Dutch tulips from the exhibition. 
However, it is not at all necessary to go so far for them - a huge number of different varieties can now be bought in Russian flower shops.
A bit of history
In 1554, the Austrian ambassador was on a visit to Turkey. The amazingly bright carpets of delicate tulips that adorned the courtyard of the Sultan's possessions pleased the ambassador so much that he bought several bulbs and sent them to Vienna. In those days, the director of the Vienna Botanical Garden was a Dutch botanist, Clusius, who enthusiastically engaged in plant breeding and quickly achieved outstanding results.
The new varieties of tulips Clusius gave to his friends, he did not deprive his homeland of magnificent flower bulbs. In the city of Leiden (Holland), a botanical garden was opened in 1587, in which a talented breeder continued to work on breeding new varieties of tulips. 
The appearance of tulips from Holland in Russia
In our country (then the USSR), Dutch tulips, photos of which you can see in our article, began to arrive in commercial volumes in the 50s of the last century. In those days, the most popular varieties were Apeldoorn, Diplomat, Parade, etc.
The quality of the flower bulbs has always been impeccable, the Dutch producers adhered to the terms of the contracts very strictly, so every year the purchases of tulips increased. Many varieties produced by D. V. Lefeber" was bred by its founder, David Lefeber, by crossing his plants with "wild birds" from Russia. Thus, such varieties as Yuri Gagarin, In Memory of Lenin, the Bolshoi Theater and others appeared. 
Variety of species and varieties
Listing only the names of varieties of Dutch tulips will take more than one page - in the international register their number reaches 2500. The main parameters of tulip varieties are flowering time, flower shape and height of the peduncle. According to the timing of flowering, they can be divided into:
According to the height of the peduncle, they are divided into three groups:
Dutch tulips: planting and care
Like almost any plant, these flowers can be grown from seeds or bulbs. However, in last years the first way is practically not grown Dutch tulips. Planting seeds is a long and troublesome task.
For young bulbs in well loosened soil, make a long furrow ten centimeters deep. The earth should be moistened with a salt solution at the rate of two hundred grams per ten liters of water. Before planting, inspect the bulbs and remove damaged ones. Then the selected material is soaked for half an hour in a solution of potassium permanganate. Pre-treat the soil with a solution of foundation. Lay the bulbs in the prepared furrow at a distance of four centimeters and sprinkle them with a thin layer of sand. 
Dutch tulips are planted to a depth of three centimeters. If the soil is too dense, then you can plant a little higher, if it is too loose, then it is better to deepen the bulbs a little. The distance between rows should be at least twenty centimeters.
Landing time
If you want to grow a flowering flower bed or get flowers for bouquets, it is recommended to plant bulbs in the fall. By the time of planting, the soil temperature should drop to +10 ° C. Planting dates are calculated so that before frost the bulb can take root within 2-3 weeks. If tulips are planted earlier, they may begin to grow rapidly. As a result, they overwinter poorly and most likely die.
More late boarding will cause the bulb not to take root and receive nutrition in the winter and in early spring.
spring planting
Dutch tulips, the cultivation of which is quite fascinating process, can be planted in the spring, thereby simulating natural cycle. The bulbs are placed in refrigerator compartment(temperature +5 °C) for seven days. Then carry out the usual processing before planting and planted, as in the first case.
Dutch tulips: care
These are moisture-loving plants. During flowering, frequent watering allows the plant to reach its maximum size. Keeping the soil moist for two weeks after flowering is complete will allow the bulb to grow and develop properly. Watering Dutch tulips from below. 
Water, falling on the leaves, can sometimes provoke the development of gray rot and other fungal diseases.
During the season, tulips are usually fed twice. After the first leaves appear on the plant, it is necessary to apply nitrogen fertilizers (ammonium nitrate, for example). But remember that an excess of nitrogen can reduce the plant's immunity and damage the root system.
During the formation of buds, tulips need trace elements. Therefore, you can use complex fertilizers ("Kemira-Lux"). Concentration - twenty grams per ten liters of water. Strengthens mullein plants.
New varieties
To the delight of flower growers, Dutch breeders annually indulge them with unique novelties. Many varieties have been appreciated by amateur flower growers. They decorate flower beds or use to create a magnificent landscape design. Nowadays, there are many different trends and trends in tulip breeding, but increased interest remains in shades of lilac and pink varieties (First Rosy, Cacharel, Jefgenia, Canberra, etc.). Below we will present you some of the novelties of the Dutch breeders.
This is a classic snow-white tulip. It has a neat and very compact bud. Refers to varieties of medium ripening. The flower has a beautiful goblet shape and a large bud. The stem is strong. The leaf is painted in saturated green color. 
beautytrend
This amazing variety will not leave anyone indifferent. It has an interesting combination of colors. The white goblet-shaped bud has a spectacular bright pink border. The variety is strong and tall. The height of the peduncle reaches 70 cm. 
This is a novelty in the flower market. However, the variety has already found fans among flower growers. The tulip has a spectacular purple colour with white border. The flower is very large, its height reaches ten centimeters. Stem - 55 cm. Belongs to the medium flowering group. 
This variety should be noted among the novelties in pink coloring. The composition of the flower is delightful - the glass of the bud is painted in a bright pink color, with a delicate border of a lighter pink shade.
Another successful development of Dutch breeders. These flowers showed excellent results in the middle and early periods of forcing. The peduncle is powerful and strong. The height of the stem is 55 cm. The flower has a beautiful goblet shape, its height is 9 cm. The color is crimson, with a light edging. 
A plant with a powerful stem, 60 cm high. It is painted in a delicate pinkish-purple hue. A bud up to 10 cm high. These tulips are very popular in the flower market. Refers to varieties of medium forcing.
It is necessary to highlight this spectacular variety in red tones. It combines bright red and yellow tones. This early variety. Stem height - 55 cm. A sharp transition of tones gives a special visual effect. It is enhanced by the bright green color of the foliage.
When to plant tulips
Tulips are perennial bulbous plants. Of garden flowers, they bloom the very first and serve as an adornment of our garden plot. Tulips have fleshy lanceolate leaves with a dark green color. The shape of the flowers can also be different. Often there are goblet, bowl-shaped, peony, double, lilac tulips.
Tulips have long been held in high esteem in the countries of Asia Minor. The most famous poets of the East devoted poems to these flowers: Saadi, Rudaki, Jami, Navoi, etc. The tulip was depicted on the coat of arms of the Ottoman dynasty for a long time.
Tulips are well suited for landscaping streets, gardens, courtyards, parks. Flowers look good on loggias, balconies, on Alpine rollercoaster and in curbs.
In this article, we will try to figure out when it is right to plant tulips, at what depth and at what distance to plant them, and also whether it is possible to plant tulips in summer.
When to plant tulips
Usually tulips are planted in autumn. In this case, it is very important to choose the optimal time for planting the bulbs. After all, before the onset of cold weather, tulips must have time to take root. Under good weather conditions, this process usually takes 20-30 days. If you plant tulip bulbs late, then they will take root poorly before frost, and in spring the tulips will lag behind in growth and begin to bloom late, and later they will give smaller bulbs. However, early planting of tulips is also dangerous. In this case, the tulips may germinate too early and simply freeze. It is believed that tulips can be planted if the temperature of the earth at a depth of 10 cm has dropped to 10 degrees. Therefore, it is better to plant tulips in late September or early October.
If you suddenly missed all the planting dates, try experimenting: in the absence of snow and frost, you can plant tulips even in early December. Planting tulips before winter will have a bad effect on the bulb, but still there is hope to see blooming tulips in spring.
When frost sets in, it is advisable to mulch the planted bulbs with straw, dry leaves, peat or compost. Although tulips are considered frost-resistant plants, additional shelters have a positive effect on their growth and development: flower stalks become stronger, bulb yield increases.
Our readers often ask if it is possible to plant tulips in spring? There is also an answer to this question. You can plant tulips in April. Planting bulbs at this time, of course, is a bit late, but not critical. For those who are going to plant tulips in the spring, there is a certain planting technology.
Bulbs that you bought or saved from autumn, put in the refrigerator overnight. This procedure is similar to preparing tulips for planting. After cooling, rinse the bulbs with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Now you need to plant tulips close to each other to a depth of five centimeters. In the same way, you can plant tulips in a box or in a box and keep them on the balcony. Flowering during spring planting will be much later, but it's better than nothing at all.
How to plant tulips
Illuminated areas of land, protected from strong winds, are best suited for planting tulips. If a shadow constantly falls on a flower bed where tulips grow, then the plants become weak, the stems are thin, and large bulbs become smaller. Despite this, tulips are unpretentious flowers. Plant them preferably in beds with sandy soil. Favorably, the growth and flowering of tulips is affected by the introduction of rotted compost, as well as wood ash at the rate of 200 g/sq. m. If the earth is considered difficult for tulips, then the introduction of river sand, compost and adding fertile land can correct the situation. But fresh manure in a flower bed with tulips is prohibited. This will lead to rapid rotting of the bulbs and the development of fungal infections.
How far apart should tulips be planted? The optimal width of the bed should be no more than 90 cm. Before planting the bulbs, it is necessary to make transverse grooves on it at a distance of 20-30 cm. For children, this distance can be reduced by 15-18 cm. Tulips should be planted deep into the ground. Planting depth for large bulbs should be 10-15 cm, and for small ones - 5-7 cm.
After the grooves are formed, water them with a watering can hot water with potassium permanganate to prevent the development of infection. Now place the bulbs in them. Large planting material should be placed at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other, and small bulbs can be more crowded.
If the soil is heavy and prone to stagnant moisture, 3 cm of river sand should be poured into the bottom of the grooves to improve drainage and prevent the bulbs from getting wet. After planting the bulbs, level the ground with a rake so that there are no recesses that water can get into. If the autumn is dry, water the tulips generously 10 days after planting so that the bulbs can develop a good root system.
Tulips should be planted in their original place approximately every 5 years. But if you do not have the opportunity to constantly change the location of the flower bed, then try to pay more attention to the prevention of diseases and pests that may be in the soil.
Tulips are the smile of spring. How to grow tulips
Tulips. Perhaps there are no more plants, the mention of which causes such a mass of positive emotions. Even small children know that with the first spring sun and Mother's Day, these bright and fragrant flowers always come to the house. Placers of tulips enliven city squares, village front gardens and numerous country flower beds with juicy strokes, delighting the eye after boring and gray winter days.
The tulip belongs to perennial herbaceous bulbous plants of the Liliaceae family. Its height, depending on the group and variety, can vary from 10 cm to 1 meter. The region of origin of the species is the mountainous regions, semi-deserts and steppes of Central Asia.
Is it easy to grow a tulip?
Talking about tulips, someone admires him unpretentiousness and simplicity of agricultural technology and someone complains indignantly about constant failures in an attempt to grow this perennial. Who is right? To find the truth, we will briefly consider the structure of the tulip and its life cycle, as well as turn to the origins of its origin.
If you approach the cultivation of tulips from the point of view of a person who is versed in the botanical features of the tulip, then you can easily calculate your mistakes, eliminate them and make sure that growing a healthy tulip is very simple.
What you need to know about tulip bulbs - myths and reality
The figure below shows the structure of a tulip bulb.
- Despite the timing, plant tulips in the ground until the end of November, slightly increasing the planting depth (up to 20 cm). After watering, mulch plantings with peat or dry foliage. The probability of winter loss of plants in this case decreases.
- Use the bulbs for early spring forcing on the windowsill, after consulting the special tables on the timing of cooling and germination.
- Store tulips in a cold basement all winter, and in early spring, plant the bulbs in the warmest part of the site, where the ground has thawed a little. Tulips may bloom in this case, but the timing of flowering will move closer to summer.
How to choose the right place
Tulips are children of mountains and semi-deserts. This should not be forgotten when planning a place for laying out a spring flower garden. Only when good lighting the plant will take on the color and shape of the variety.
With a lack of sun, the peduncle will be curved, the flower will be small and partially deformed. Insufficient amounts of nutrients will be deposited in the storage scales, which can lead to the appearance of weak replacement bulbs, and then to the complete loss of the variety.
The landing site should be dry, without prolonged stagnation of moisture (however, regular watering in drought must also be ensured). If the bulbs are in damp soil for a long time, they become ill with fungal and bacterial infections and die.
If the soil is dense, clayey, leavening agents must be added - peat, sand, vermiculite.
Another important addition - the predecessor in the garden (in the flower garden) should not be classified as bulbous, otherwise there is a high probability of viral or fungal diseases.
How deep are tulips planted?
When planting tulips in the ground, as well as when planting many ephemeroids, they are guided by the rule of height of 3 bulbs. Three times the size is counted from the bottom and a landing hole is dug out of just such a depth. For tulips, this value is usually 15 cm. A little sand is added to the bottom to drain the bulbous bottom area. Young children are planted in accordance with this rule at a shallower depth.
With excessive deepening of the bulbs, the flower does not grow so large, and the children are small and bloom weakly.
What interval is maintained during landing
The bulbs located nearby should be at least 2 sizes (10 cm) apart from each other. The larger the bulb, the farther apart they are planted, otherwise the plants, competing for light and food, quickly grind.
To organize a group, very effective planting of tulips, they dig one common hole, fill it with fertilizers and lay out the bulbs evenly.
Now tiered flower beds have become very popular, when hyacinths are planted as the bottom layer, and smaller bulbs of birdman, muscari or chionodox are laid out on top of lightly sprinkled tulips.
Location in the flower garden and neighboring plants
First of all, you need to decide on the composition of the composition, which will include tulips. If early spring flowering is foreseen (suppose, with muscari or early daffodils), then varieties are selected early term, well combined in color - contrasting or monochrome (of the same shade). Usually, terry yellow varieties of tulips look good with bright blue muscari, and white and bright red varieties look good with sunny daffodils.
Late-flowering tulips are selected in combination with ground cover rampant at this time - arabis, splayed phlox, sapling, as well as forget-me-not, badans and late daffodils.
If annuals are planted in place of faded tulips, then in this case special baskets for bulbs are used. These plastic nets are convenient in that plants that have lost their appearance can be easily moved to a secluded place for the bulbs to ripen.
Often tulips are planted with perennials with powerful foliage (hostas, panicled phloxes, meadow geraniums). Growing up by the time the tulips dry up, they perfectly decorate the unsightly appearance of the bulbs.
Video "Planting tulips."
To ensure a quick and friendly start in the spring, for autumn digging apply fertilizers with a predominance of potassium and phosphorus ("Autumn Fasco" or slow-acting granules (for example, "AVA").
spring tulips should be fed with a solution of urea, and in the second half of May - with superphosphate. Top dressing is combined with watering or carried out after rain.
During the growing season and flowering, tulips require sufficient soil moisture, but without waterlogging, which can result in damage to plants by various diseases.
In addition, excess moisture leads to the fact that cracks appear on the bulbs, which, of course, worsens the quality of the bulb and, subsequently, the plant, moreover, such a bulb is stored worse.
The lack of moisture depletes the plant, it gives smaller and less beautiful flowers, and also forms fewer daughter bulbs.
That's why correct mode watering is important. Tulips are watered infrequently, up to 3 times during the growing season, this applies even to the southern regions. But at the same time, each watering should be plentiful, the water consumption is about 50 liters per 1 sq. meter. Water should reach a depth of 30-35 cm, where the roots of the bulbs are located.
The myth of "pollination" of tulips
The most common complaint among beginner gardeners is the following: “I have everything beautiful tulips pollinated and became ordinary. This was discussed above when it was said that the pollination of one variety by another does not in any way affect the cloning of its children by the bulb through vegetative propagation.
However, the fact of replacing chic parrot, lily-colored, fringed varieties with ordinary simple ones over time is obvious, and it happens very often. What's the matter?
And the point, as a rule, is the elementary laziness of summer residents, coupled with a lack of knowledge on tulip farming. Its most important rule says: in order for the plants to be always beautiful, powerful and correspond to the variety, they need:
Tulip digging and storage
This means that you need to wait until the outflow of nutrients from the leaves into the scales occurs, a replacement bulb and babies form. As a rule, this period falls on the end of June - the beginning of July. If you are late - the nest will fall apart, and many babies will be lost, dig out earlier - the new bulb will not have time to ripen. How to find the golden mean? Use the old Dutch way: if the tulip stem has lost its fragility and easily wraps around your finger, dig boldly!
This means making an analysis of the size of the bulbs and varieties. As a rule, simple tulips (especially red ones) are very stable and unpretentious, they give a lot of stolons with children and literally crowd out the weak and pampered, which are modern varietal specimens. Hence the myth of "pollination". As soon as the grower starts marking the best varieties beacons and dig out in time, immediately spring will begin to be painted only with your favorite colors.
Dug and sorted bulbs are placed in lattice boxes and dried for 2-3 days under a canopy. Then they are laid out in 2 rows, layered with newspapers, and sent to a moderately warm (25 ° C) and ventilated place (attic, barn). There they will be stored until September, periodically subjected to revision and rejection of dry and rotten children.
Plant on time
We repeat once again that when planting tulips, it is important to observe correct timing, indicated in the section "When to plant tulips"
flower history
Among the ephemeroids grown in our gardens (the so-called plants with a short growing season), tulips confidently occupy a leading position. Not a single early-flowering perennial can compete with them in the beauty of the flower, the variety of forms, and unpretentiousness.
Europe has been admiring this magnificent plant for a little less than 500 years. Trial batches of tulips, brought by Byzantine merchants to Vienna in the 26th century, quickly won the recognition of European flower growers. Obviously, merchants, acquiring placers of bulbs in their homeland - the territory of present-day Kazakhstan, did not even imagine that this product would be more promising than spices and silks.
The flower-tulip fever that swept through Holland, France, and Italy in those days testified to the extreme popularity of the new perennial. It raised the poor to the crest of wealth and plunged the rich into the abyss of bankruptcy. The tulip fascination has spawned hundreds of incredible new shapes and varieties, from the mysterious "black tulips" to the fantastically unusual parrot and fringed ones.
The Netherlands has still remained true to its love for these beautiful bulbs and is confidently leading the world in sales, offering planting material in millions of batches every year.
Tulips: successful experience of planting bulbs in frozen ground
Tulips and irises are the flowers of my childhood!
I grew up in the south of Ukraine. In early spring, our steppe, which spreads not far from the Askania-Nova nature reserve, turned into a bright sea of flowers from red tulips ...
But wild yellow tulips were very rare here.
Bloomed in the spring in our steppe and natural irises, medium-sized and low.
The admiration of the spring steppe with blooming tulips cannot be described in words!
Therefore, since childhood, I fell in love with tulips very much. These festive heralds of spring have become indispensable inhabitants of my garden.
Our dacha is located not far from Kharkov, 40 km to the north.
Growing tulips in the garden gives me a lot of joy. Every year I subscribed or simply bought new tulip bulbs from the local market to decorate my garden. And in recent years, planting material for a wide variety of tulips, and others, has become available to flower growers. flowering plants.
Now there are so many tulips of all classes for sale, a great many elegant varieties! I hope that someday my dream will come true - to grow blue tulips.
Along with the abundance of varieties of tulips, there is also a huge variety of various types and varieties of irises for the garden. Of these, each grower can make excellent collections to your taste.
The only obstacle for me now is a catastrophic lack of time.
In the photo: tulips in different colors; yellow and yellow-pink tulips; unusual color tulip
Experiment with planting tulips in the garden in winter
Tulip bulbs are usually planted in autumn, when the soil temperature reaches +5 ... +10 degrees, and about 1.5 months remain before the ground freezes in the garden. During this period, the planted tulips take root well, which allows the bulbs to successfully overwinter and bloom in the spring, at the time characteristic of this variety.
However, many flower growers quite often face such a situation that spring-flowering bulbs were not planted in time in the fall in the garden. The favorable dates for planting have long passed - the cold has come, and frosts that bind the earth are not uncommon.
Then there is Difficult choice: still take a chance and plant the bulbs in the garden at such a very late date, or do the forcing of the bulbs, or try to save them and plant them in the spring?
One day we ran into the same problem.
A few years ago my husband traveled to Holland and returned from there at the very beginning of winter. He brought 30 tulip bulbs from Amsterdam. Although he knew that it was too late to plant these bulbs in the garden, he coveted blue tulips.
When we opened the packages of Dutch tulips, we found that almost all the bulbs already had the beginnings of sprouts!
I began to consult with experts - how best to deal with such bulbs. I was offered to plant tulips for distillation. However, this option didn't work for me.
First, not all varieties of tulips are suitable for forcing.
Secondly, properly prepared bulbs are used for distillation.
Thirdly, successful forcing of tulips is possible only if the necessary conditions of maintenance are observed, which must be provided for the bulbs planted in pots.
And then my husband and I made a non-standard decision at our own peril and risk: try to plant tulip bulbs in the winter in the garden and then securely insulate the plantings.
It was already the middle of the month (December 14), when we went to the dacha to plant tulips.
I cleared the snow from the free area of the garden. The husband lifted the top layer of frozen earth with a crowbar so that a place could be prepared for planting tulip bulbs.
We dug up the soil at the bottom of the planting hole and planted all the Dutch tulip bulbs to a depth of at least 20 cm.
After sprinkling the planted bulbs with ordinary garden soil, we returned the frozen ground to its place. Then the tulip planting site was covered with branches and dry leaves, covered with foil and covered with snow.
In the spring, in March, I went to the garden to remove the film from the tulip plantings that had opened from the melted snow so that it would not give a greenhouse effect.
Then, an insulating layer of branches and leaves was removed from the bed with tulips.
What was our joy when, when the heat was established, sprouts of “winter” tulips appeared from the ground 🙂
Our risky experiment was successful: out of 30 bulbs planted in the winter, the vast majority sprouted in the spring. 29 Dutch tulips have sprouted and bloomed wonderfully!
True, their flowering occurred a little later than all the other tulips growing in our garden. But it's even better. After all, every gardener dreams of extending the flowering period of tulips, brightly decorating our gardens and houses in spring.
In the photo: a variety of tulips; tulips in a bouquet
blue dream
The only thing that upset me was that there were no blue tulips in the Dutch batch of bulbs ...
However, we were very pleased with the result. After all, the bulbs placed in extreme conditions successfully overwintered in our garden, all the tulips were very beautiful!
And I haven’t been able to buy tulip bulbs with blue flowers yet. Anything blooms, but I still don’t have blue tulips. Although all sellers swear that blue flowers will definitely grow from their bulbs.
Weekly Free Digest of Gardenia.ru Site
Every week, for 10 years, for our 100,000 subscribers, an excellent selection of relevant materials about flowers and gardens, as well as other useful information.
How and when is it better to plant tulip seeds and bulbs: cultivation and care
Currently there are about 1800 ornamental varieties tulips, which significantly exceeds the number of shadberry varieties and camellia species.
Most of them are bred by breeders in flower farms in Holland. Many varieties have been successfully acclimatized and are perfectly grown in central Russia.
The main types of decorative tulips
The most important parameters of the varieties of this plant are the flowering period, the height of the peduncle and the shape of the flower.
Classification of varieties of tulips by flowering time:
Classification of varieties height of peduncles:
Features of varieties in the form of a flower:
Goblet tulips from seeds
parrot tulip planted in autumn
- In the first spring, one tubular leaf, similar to an onion seedling, grows from the seeds. By autumn, the main root and several roots are formed.
- In the second year, a stolon is formed from the main root, which subsequently forms the bulb and deepens it. The first true flat leaf grows on the surface.
- In the third year, there is further development and an increase in the growth of the bulb. The first babies may appear. Some varieties may begin to bloom, but flowering will slow down the overall development of the tulip and will be inferior - weak and small.
- In wet weather, young shoots and bulbs are threatened slugs and snails. Tobacco dust is effective against them.
- Medvedka, Khrushchi(May beetle larvae) gnaw out roots and bulbs. Digging and loosening the soil is effective for destruction. They put traps on the bear.
- wireworms(larvae of the click beetle) damage tulip bulbs by gnawing through passages. This beetle prefers areas densely overgrown with weeds with high acidity of the soil. Therefore, getting rid of it is quite easy - remove weeds, add ash, lime and ammonium nitrate to the soil, loosen and dig the site more often.
- Greenhouse aphids. Drinks juice from young leaves and peduncles, which greatly weakens the plant. But the most unpleasant thing is that aphids are a carrier of many viral diseases.
Kill aphids with pesticides.
plant bulbs
How to plant young bulbs
For young tulip bulbs, a furrow is made in the loosened earth to a depth of 10 cm. The earth is moistened with a salt solution - one glass per 10-liter bucket of water. The bulbs are kept for 15 minutes in a strong solution of potassium permanganate, laid out in a row at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other and sprinkled with sand.
The tulip gives the real first flowering in the fifth year after sowing the seeds. At 6-7 years old, the plant reaches its maturity and the color of the buds becomes brighter.
How to propagate tulips with bulbs
The bulb of an adult tulip produces one replacement bulb and 2-3 daughter bulbs per season. Some varieties are more productive. In order to stimulate the development of more daughter bulbs and increase in their size, the flowers at the bud stage are cut off and the leaves are left.
After complete withering of the aerial part of the plant, the bulbs are dug up and divided. Be sure to inspect each bulb. Damaged by pests, with signs of fungal diseases or very small ones are immediately rejected and destroyed. The remaining bulbs are best disassembled into 2 piles: for growing and for cutting.
Suitable for tulips, as well as anemones, about planting and caring for which read here http://2gazon.ru/ozelenenie/cvety/anemona-posadka-i-uxod.html, soils with neutral or slightly alkaline Ph.
Acidic soils inhibit tulips. Sand should be added to clay soils (up to two buckets of sand per square meter) and lime (50 grams per square meter).
Shallow loosening with weed removal is done periodically, especially after watering or rains. The crust that forms on the ground after it dries up prevents the development of the root system of tulips.
Before planting, the bulbs are inspected and discarded. The selected planting material is soaked for 30 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate.
When asked when is the best time to plant tulips, there are two possible answers. If your goal is a blooming flower bed or cut flowers, you need to plant in the fall. Soil temperature should drop to 7-10 degrees.
Planting dates should be calculated in such a way that the bulb has 2-3 weeks to root before frost. If you plant tulips earlier, they can intensively start growing and overwinter poorly or die. If later, the bulb does not have time to take root and does not receive the necessary nutrition in the winter and early spring.
How to plant tulips in spring
Nature can be deceived by imitating the natural cycle of nature. The bulbs are placed for a week in a refrigerator with a temperature of +5 degrees. After that, pre-planting is carried out and planted as usual.
Watering after planting
Tulips are quite moisture-loving, as well as grown astilba flowers. Frequent watering during flowering allows the flower to reach its maximum size. Moistening the soil within two weeks of flowering stimulates the growth of the replacement bulb.
Watered from below. The ingress of water on the leaves can provoke the development of fungal diseases, in particular - gray rot. Since the bulb with the root system can be in the ground at a depth of up to 50 centimeters, it is necessary to water abundantly.
Tulips are fed with fertilizers 2-3 times. When the first leaves appear, nitrogen fertilizers are applied (for example, ammonium nitrate). Overfeeding with nitrogen fertilizers reduces plant immunity and damages the root system.
During the budding period, flowers need microelements. Therefore, you need to feed complex fertilizers type "Kemira-Lux" at a concentration of 20 grams per 10 liters of water. The introduction of mullein well strengthens plants.
cut flowers
The most common mistake beginner gardeners - tulips are cut too close to the ground. The tulip bulb ceases to develop, which was provided with the help of photosynthesis by the aerial part of the plant. Such a bulb may die or not give a full bloom next year. When properly cut with a peduncle, no more than 1-2 sheets should be cut.
Preventive treatment is also required. garden tools. When cutting, viral diseases are often transmitted from plant to plant.
Digging and storing tulip bulbs
After the aboveground part of the plant dies off (July - August), the tulip bulbs are dug up, discarded, treated with a fungicide or kept in a dark solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes, immediately dried well. It is very important that after processing the bulbs do not start growing, since the root system of tulips does not renew when damaged. Dry bulbs are laid out in a container in one or two layers and stored in a cool, dry place.
plant diseases
Gray rot
Often this disease affects tulips, like spirea, a video of planting and caring for which can be viewed in the material, late flowering in cold and wet weather. The rot spreads to nearby plants at the speed of a fire. Take action at the first sign of infection. 
Outwardly, the onset of the disease manifests itself in the form of brown spots on the leaves, then the spots twitch with a gray coating of fungal spores. Plant growth slows down or stops completely. Rot affects not only the aerial part of the plant, but also the bulb.
For the treatment of gray rot, a 0.2% solution of foundationazole or a strong solution of potassium permanganate is used.. Re-treatment is carried out after 10 days.
This disease is not so pronounced, affecting primarily the underground part of the plant. The roots die, the tulip bulb is damaged. The plant is weakened, the leaves die off, the flowers do not develop.
Sick plants must be destroyed. Tulip bulbs after digging are carefully inspected. Bulbs affected by Fusarium often give out bad smell. If there are light brown or brown spots on the bottom of the bulb, they are also destroyed.
sclerocial rot
With this disease, the bulb is covered with a white or gray coating, resembling felt in appearance. A diseased plant is significantly stunted, then rots.
Such plants must be dug up and destroyed.
The soil within a radius of 15 cm from the source of infection is treated with thiazon. It is necessary to dig the earth to a depth of 30 cm.
variegation
A viral disease that weakens the plant. Bulbs and aerial parts of plants become smaller and degrade. If the variety of your tulips does not genetically provide for variegated petals, such plants should be culled. On yellow and white varieties, the manifestations of the virus are quite difficult to notice. The disease is given out by young green leaves, on which lighter veins and yellow stripes appear along the leaf plate.
The variegated mosaic virus quickly infects closely growing tulips. The main carriers of the virus are aphids and untreated garden tools.
In addition to bacterial, viral or fungal diseases, tulips can suffer from pests:
Variety of spring flowers
But if you correctly follow all the tips and recommendations, then grow tulips on suburban area it will not be difficult, whenever you decide to plant them.
The most famous location for a photo shoot in the tulip fields is, of course, the Dutch royal tulip park Keukenhof. Almost every girl, woman, grandmother dreams of getting here. By the way, there are more men among Chinese visitors.
The park was founded in 1840. It is located 30 km from Amsterdam, in the town of Lisse. And it works a little less than 2 months a year - from the end of March to the middle of May. In 2018, the park will be open from March 22 to May 13.
Already at the entrance to the city of Lisse, huge tulip fields begin. But in this part of the country they are cut off early, in May the picture looks like this in the fields:
But the fields can still be found along the highway in the north of the Netherlands, around the cities of Drachten, Groningen.
Today in Holland, more than 22,000 hectares of land have been allocated for growing tulips, on which about three billion flowers grow. Two-thirds of it is exported, and only one-third remains in the country. Tulips are the most important export commodity of the Netherlands. By the way, the first tulips were brought from Constantinople in the 1550s. It is amazing how flowers born in Asia got along and took root in the northern country.
In the Lisse area, you can see how huge harvesters cut ripe tulips and pack those that have passed computer quality control into bouquets. And those that do not meet the quality, remain by the side of the road.
There is a market next to the park, where the assortment fresh bouquets and bulbs is several times higher than that at the famous Bloemenmarkt flower market in the center of Amsterdam. Here is such a bouquet of 50 tulips in Liss costs 3-5 euros, in Amsterdam 10 euros:
And we do not waste time and go to the park.
Entrance fee 16-17 euros, parking 6 euros. From Amsterdam airport, central station and Haarlem there are transfers to the park by bus or train. Tickets in this case are combined and are equal to 24.5 to 35 euros (depending on the starting point, the cost is for a round-trip). Read more about transfers.
We arrived by car on May 5th. We were afraid to see only withered flower beds, but we were lucky with cold weather a week before our trip.
Love the pictures:
There should have been colored fields of tulips in this place, but there were only pale daffodils. The tulips have already been cut. There are 3 panoramic platforms in the park, from where beautiful view to the fields in April, but not May:
Different varieties. By the way, the main pride of the Dutchman is that they will call your name new variety tulips.
Postcards for all women's holidays for many years to come are ready:
The main flowerbed meets us at the entrance to the park:
Park landscape. Please also note the small number of visitors. We went in at about 3pm. The park closes at 19:30. We ran almost until closing, we missed something, but there are still a lot of impressions:
And we successfully got to bloom fruit trees. We missed the tulip fields, but the trees combined with the flower beds are just wow:
style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">
The visitor harmoniously blends into the background
Recently, helicopter rides have also been organized in the park.
In addition to flower beds and fields, the park has 3 closed greenhouses, where flower festivals are organized. In 2017, we couldn't take our eyes off the colorful bouquets in one of the pavilions: 
The scenery is very cool.
You must visit the pavilions!
Orchid Pavilion: 
So, you must visit the Royal Tulip Park at least once! It works from the end of March to the middle of May. Specifically, every year you need to specify the dates of work on the park's website.
Tickets to Amsterdam from the most popular cities:
In general, interesting offers for the price for this period (March-May) appear around January. The KLM airline regularly launches air ticket sales after the winter holidays.
Accommodation in Amsterdam itself is above the European average, but you can look for very interesting hotels away from Amsterdam itself. Thus, to see a country that is very different from the capital.
We traveled all over the Netherlands from Belgium (Antwerp) to Germany (Bremen). Incredible and very interesting. Therefore, in addition to Amsterdam, you can include the following cities in your trip:
1. The Hague. We are delighted with the Madurodam miniature park and the waterfront. The Automotive Museum Louwman Museum and the Peace Palace are interesting here.
2. Rotterdam captivates with modern architecture. And the Kinderdijk mill complex.
3. The Belgian-Dutch town of Baarle-Hertog, walking along which you cross the border between Belgium and the Netherlands 24 times!!!
4. Open-air park with mills and local industries in Zaandam
By the way, it took us only 3 days to complete this route with a visit to Keukenhof (tulip park). But it's not worth repeating.
Route St. Petersburg - Paris for 3 weeks, through 8 countries
Have a nice trip and a lot of impressions to YOU!
How much do flowers cost in Amsterdam? Report from the Flower Market
Well, spring has come! Of course, no one knows what surprises the weather can still bring us. But I want to think about the good: very soon March 8th, houses and offices will be filled with flowers, and life will sparkle with new colors. On the eve of March 8, we decided to go to the market, see what flowers you can buy at the beginning of spring and how much they cost. O yat in Amsterdam.
For bouquets, we went to. Spring here, if desired, can be felt almost 365 days a year. The market itself is designed more for tourists than for local residents (you will meet the latter sooner). But it is easy to find, it is on the must see list of most travelers - and the choice of colors here, if you come after the arrival of a new batch, is excellent.
First of all, we, of course, look at tulips. By the way, they, and many other flowers, are sold in Holland not one at a time, but in bouquets (10 pieces) or whole armfuls (50 pieces). Oh, how they creak and crunch when you carry them in an embrace!
On the day of our visit to the Flower Market, tulips were sold at a price of 5 to 15 euros for 50 pieces.
Bouquets for 5 euros seem to be quite unsightly. But, in fact, at home, in the heat, the buds will open - and literally the next morning they will look completely different. One drawback - today we are offered only yellow ones.
There are also tulips on the market at a price of 15 euros for 50 pieces. On my subjective view, outwardly the difference between them and flowers for 6 euros is felt slightly.
Probably, I will not be mistaken in saying that for us, people from Russian-speaking countries, a tulip is a herald of the arrival of spring. And yet, if you want to please yourself or loved ones with other flowers, then on the market (even in late winter and early spring!) There is plenty to choose from.
For example, you can show originality and buy amaryllis (1.50 euros per piece) or strelitzia.
Roses of all sizes and colors cost 5 - 6.50 euros for 10 pieces.
You can, of course, aim at a million scarlet roses. But you can, modestly and tastefully, buy a bouquet of impressive size for reasonable money.
Peony tulips are sold at a price of 4.50 euros per bouquet.
You can make a more original choice and leave the market with a bouquet of sunflowers (we are not in vain in our homeland!) at a price of 6.50 euros per bouquet.
Or ranunculus ( Asian buttercup) costing 10 euros for 50 pieces.
By the way, a bouquet of flowers, unlike plants with roots, you can take on board the aircraft of many airlines. Good opportunity bring such a bright greetings from Holland for someone close to you!
True, as one girl said well, “do not give us flowers - give us the opportunity to see how they grow.” Taking into account the fact that on the eve of March 8, a bouquet of 50 tulips in many cities of the CIS will cost about the same as a ticket to Amsterdam, in my opinion, this is a good idea :)
In the coming months in Amsterdam and the surrounding area you can:
- visit (during April 2019)
- visit
A trip to the tulip fields is that chance to be surrounded by a whole sea of flowers, which does not fall out so often. In April - early May, there is such an opportunity in Holland. Come and be sure to use it!
When do tulip fields bloom in Holland?
The beginning of the tulip flowering season is highly dependent on how cold winter and spring turn out to be. Naturally, this is unpredictable, so it is impossible to guarantee exactly when tulips will bloom in 2020.
However, for reference, according to the experience of previous years: the greatest chances to find tulip fields in full bloom are from about the 20th of April to the second week of May.
For how and where this moment tulips, daffodils, hyacinths bloom you can follow on the FlowerRadar website.
Where to find tulip fields in Holland?
The fields are located in the area of the towns of Lisse, Hillegom, Noordwijkerhout, Zilk. More exact coordinates of the fields blooming at the time of your visit can be clarified, again, on the FlowerRadar website.
If you are traveling without a car, here are two of the most simple ways get to the flower fields:
Maps of cycling routes through the tulip fields are also available.
Is it possible to enter the tulip fields?
Let's be honest, farmers are not always delighted with the fact that tops of those who want to make beautiful photos. On some fields there are signs asking you not to walk on them, because. sensitive varieties of flowers grow there, and infection can occur on the soles of shoes. In other cases, the fields are often fenced with a moat with water.
However, among the flower fields you can find those that have open access. There, according to the unspoken rules, you can go. Naturally, at the same time, it is worth respecting the work of farmers and taking care of flowers. You can't pick tulips in the fields!
Helicopter tours over tulip fields
Want something completely out of the ordinary? Order helicopter tour over tulip fields. The cost of the tour is 129 euros per person.
Please note: Helicopter tours are available just a few days for the entire season: April 4, April 11, April 12, April 18, April 25 and April 26, 2020. Limited number of seats. You can clarify the program and book a tour.
Where else can you see blooming tulips in Holland?
Of course, in the Royal Park of Flowers. In 2020, the Keukenhof will be open from 21 March to 10 May. Opening hours - from 8.00 to 19.30. Ticket offices are open until 18.00.
You can buy tickets online, which will save you a lot of time at the entrance to the park.
You may also be interested in:
Where to stay when traveling to Keukenhof? Look out for hotels in Lisse, Noordwijk, Leiden and Haarlem. From all these cities it is easy to get to Keukenhof.
